12 Spring 2012 Applegater
BIRDMAN
as northern pintail ducks and northern
shoveler ducks.
The birdlife around the San Diego
area is always plentiful and this year was
home in Oregon, making note of every no exception. Along the flood control
species of birds we saw along the way.
channel at Ocean Beach, we saw plenty of
Our first stops were our favorite brown pelicans, willets, marbled godwits,
national wildlife refuges in northern whimbrels, and even a little blue heron. By
California—Sacramento and Colusa. the time we left San Diego for our cruise,
Both of these areas had an unusually our bird count was already at 136.
large number of waterbirds this season
We had arranged via the Internet
due, I think, to the unusually cold and to have a local English-speaking guide
dry weather in the Northwest during at several of our ports of call beginning
November, December and January when in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Local guides
so many northern birds are heading south. know the best places close to the port
There were exceptionally large flocks of where you can find a good variety of local
snow geese and white-fronted geese, as well birdlife—the cost is just about equal to the
cost of the shore excursions offered by the
cruise line, and you avoid the busloads of
people! Our favorite new bird in this area
was the beautiful Rufous-capped warbler.
Along the Pacific coast of Central
America, we stopped in Guatemala,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The
birdlife, as you can imagine, is prolific in
this part of the world. We particularly
enjoyed seeing so many warblers here for
the winter that make their way north to our
area in the spring, including the Wilson’s,
yellow, Thompson’s, black-throated gray,
and Nashville. By the time we left Central
Vacation for the birds
BY tED A. GLoVEr
I have written before about how fun
it is to travel and search for new birds you
have never seen before or to see birds you
haven’t seen in a long time. A big advantage
of being retired is being able to travel and
to travel to new and exciting places. This
past February, my wife and I were able
to take a cruise down through Mexico,
Central America and into Ecuador and
Peru. The cruise began and ended in San
Diego and, since we have relatives there, we
decided to drive there and actually begin
our “birding expedition” right from our
Photo above: Rufous-capped warbler (http://
ibc.lynxeds.com). Photo at right: Humboldt
penguin (http://en.wikipedia.org).
America, our bird
count had reached
244, including 19
birds we had never
seen before.
Our trip
to Peru included
a stopover of
Ted A. Glover
three days, so we
arranged for a guide to take us out for two
full days around the Lima area. This was
the highlight of our trip since we had never
been to Peru. As our ship pulled into the
harbor, we were greeted by hundreds of
Inca terns, a bird endemic to Peru with a
sooty plumage, long dark tail, vibrant red
bill and legs, and spectacular white tuffs.
We saw 36 new birds while visiting the area
around Lima, including the giant Peruvian
pelican, the croaking ground dove, the
colorful white-cheeked pintail duck and
even the Humboldt penguin.
By the time we left South America
and headed back to San Diego, our count
had reached 300. We made a few stops in
Mexico on our way back picking up a few
more species and bringing our total count
to 317. What a great adventure!
Ted A. Glover
541-846-0681
tedglover9@gmail.com
Folks, this is normal!
BY DELLA mErriLL
Last fall, for example, a whole class of
(Author’s note: This article was
inspired by Joel Salatin’s new book, Folks, second graders, working together, picked
This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for up all the irrigation pipes in our main
Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a pasture. It took four kids to pick up one
Better World. Salatin is a third-generation pipe, but they were steady and determined
alternative farmer from Virginia’s and would not stop until the job was done.
All the while their laughter and enthusiasm
Shenandoah Valley.)
There’s nothing like getting your kids was contagious.
Another big job we ask of our
outside in the dirt, among the flowers, nose
visitors is to show
to nose with farm
et’s
give
our
youth
a
chance
to
our many rescued
animals, walking
feel that connection, to learn
and abused animals
energetic dogs,
sowing vegetable to value it, and hope that in the end that humans can
be kind, loving and
seeds, all the while they will be motivated to protect it.
respectful. By and
learning how to
collaborate, work as a team and experience large, the animals in our care have not
experienced humans in this way. So it’s
the joy of meaningful work.
Children today spend way too many a big responsibility of our visitors to
hours in front of video games and television; participate in the healing of our animals,
most studies report 25 hours a week or building our animals’ sense of trust and
more. Home chores are great, but having confidence in humans. This is meaningful
youth volunteer in the greater community work that benefits both the animals in our
builds their self-esteem and helps them care and the humans who are given this
understand the world from other points of opportunity to interact with them.
Working in the garden is another
view. Why not give them the opportunity
to turn some of their unproductive video important and never-ending source of joy,
hours into something real, where they discovery and work to be done. Gardening
connect and work alongside other people teaches balance, it teaches us about where
doing work that is meaningful, gratifying our food comes from and what it takes to
produce it. It teaches us the importance of
and truly important.
Sanctuary One offers just this kind of healthy soil and what it takes to create it. It
opportunity. There is much to be done on teaches us about our profound dependency
the farm: working with animals, cleaning on a healthy environment.
Participating in life on the farm helps
the barn, helping in the garden, moving
hay and a whole array of other jobs. us to understand—and more importantly
Participating in life on the farm builds feel—the interconnectedness of all things.
camaraderie as it creates a sense of personal Our culture increasingly divides humans
and nature. The bigger the divide, the less
satisfaction and accomplishment.
L
we care what happens outside our picture
window. And yet we all know that we
cannot exist long in an unhealthy world.
Let’s give our youth a chance to feel that
connection, to learn to value it, and hope
that in the end they will be motivated to
protect it.
If you want a hands-on experience
while touring Sanctuary One, the last
Saturdays of June, July and August have
been set aside for just this reason. Join us
for a hands-on day at the farm. Participants
seven years and older are invited; children
under 18 must be accompanied by an
adult. The work will vary depending on
what is needed. We ask that you bring
with you a sense of awe, a willingness to be
flexible, and a commitment to work hard.
Hands-on tours are offered June 30,
July 28 and August 25. Regular farm
tours are offered most Wednesdays and
Saturdays. For reservations, please call
541-899-8627.
See you at the farm!
Della Merrill
General Manager
Sanctuary One
541-899-8627
